You may often find yourself in a circumstance where you want to speed up the time taken to cure your epoxy project.
While the cure times may vary from resin to resin, it is not unorthodox to rush them a bit, and this is where you might pop the question; Can you put cured resin in the oven?
And luckily, it turns out that you can! But you have to be wary of many things going into this as many things can go wrong, and you have to be precise and careful to cure your project quickly. Read on to know more about putting cured resin in the oven.
Can you Put Cured Resin in the Oven?
Yes, you can. But make sure that the mixture is sufficiently solid before putting it in the oven. Using the oven may not be the fastest route you can take during this process, but it can be a great option in two-step curing systems.
If you are frequently involved in projects requiring you to cure resin, then you should know that most DIY epoxy resin applications would not require using the oven.
But if you are adamant about using the oven, keep in mind that the amount of heat required differs for different types of resin.
What Happens when you Heat up Cured Resin?
Anything slightly warm would not harm properly cured resin sculpture, but extremely high temperatures may cause it to melt momentarily. Once it has cooled, the resin will solidify again, but prolonged exposure may cause the resin to move or change shape.
And depending on the project the resin was used in, this deformation can be very annoying. And you have to constantly make sure that items made from cured resin for daily use must be kept out of places with hot temperatures, like inside a car on a sunny day.
Hopefully, you will find this information useful.
Can You Put Cured Epoxy in the Oven?
When exposed to very high temperatures, cured epoxy may experience severe damage. Cracking of epoxy all over from inside and outside may take place and fall off unless supported. Another thing that might happen is that the cured epoxy will shrink.
This shrinking will result in large stress and will degrade the integrity of the epoxy. People often report observing the epoxy crack or break under high temperatures.
In order to avoid this happening to you, ensure the epoxy you are curing is receiving equal heat throughout so that one part of the epoxy does not cure before the other parts.
Can You Bake Resin with Polymer Clay?
Polymer clay is incompatible for many projects due to materials like glues and paints softening by its plasticizers. But luckily, it works just fine with materials like UV and epoxy resin. For great results, you could add more polymer clay after baking resin. But keep in mind that you risk the resin turning yellow, degradation, or cracking in doing so.
If you use epoxy resin, keep it in mid to never bake it. Some brands of UV resin have heat tolerances, and you can bake them at low temperatures. So, do your research and buy the appropriate resin if you don’t want a disaster!
Can you Bake Ultraviolet Resin with Polymer Clay?
Some brands of ultraviolet resin have a bit of heat tolerance. You can use these specific ones for baking using polymer clay. But if you use an ultraviolet resin that isn’t very resistant to heat, then you risk the whole thing turning yellowish or degradation of integrity and cracking.
Also, you must remember that ultraviolet resins are susceptible to light, and any strong light can start its curing process. So, store it in a very dark environment away from sunlight or any strong light in general. It is also recommended to store it in a dark bottle just to be safe.
FAQs: Related Asked Question
Q. Can cured resin be heated?
Yes. You can heat cured resin, which will result in the resin softening up and changing shape and distortion. But as soon as it gets cool again, the resin solidifies. This resin property can become a problem if you live in a hot and humid climate as the resin may soften and get distorted by itself.
So make sure to keep your resin in cool places if you live in a hot climate area.
When you work with resin, make sure to check out its specifications especially ideal temperatures to store it and recommended humidity levels, as that can give you a good idea of what that resin could be used to make.
If you want to make something that will always face a lot of heat, get a resin with high heat tolerances.
Conclusion:
Hopefully, you learned something new in this article and can cure your resin projects and artwork faster now with ovens. Projects involving resins can get messy and can take a long time if you consider the clean-up afterward. So it is a relief to know that you can somewhat speed up the process. And if you get it wrong a few times, don’t worry, as practice makes you perfect. If you liked our article, share it with all your artistic friends.
